Let's be 'Prends'

http://news.inq7.net/infotech/index.php?index=1&story_id=15835

Updated 06:45pm (Mla time) Oct 23, 2004

By Joey AlarillaINQ7.

SURE, most of you have heard of Friendster, but did you know the Philippines has a Filipino version called Prendster?

Well, actually a number of Filipino Friendster-type services have come and gone, but Prendster has gone from being a Friendster “spoof “ to a thriving online community, with more than 11,000 registered members, according to webmaster Hanzel. Incidentally, I confirmed this by registering as a user myself; in fact, Hanzel said that they would have even more members if they did not remove 7, 000 inactive members on July 26.

Hanzel shared that the initial Friendster spoof was only limited to the “network of friends” image, which is still on the site’s main page but is now smaller. Prendster, however, could not offer similar services and instead transformed itself into a forum-based online community.

“We had limited resources and knew very little about web programming then, so we resorted to forums instead. It was only on July 22 that we added the Social Networking System which is in some ways similar to that of Friendster,” Hanzel shared.

From what I’ve seen so far, Prendster does have a very lively online community compared to other forum-based ones. What differentiates Prendster from these other sites?

“Well, I think what makes Prendster different from other forums are its features and innovations. Unlike other forum-based Filipino communities, Prendster is accessible via WAP (wireless application protocol; access http://wap.prendster.com using your mobile phone to try it out. Unfortunately, however, the site disclaimer states that “it is inaccessible for Globe GPRS users”) and has a Social Networking System integrated with the forums, which allows users to send invitations and testimonials to their friends. We may not be the best but we’re very happy with what our community has become in less than a year,” Hanzel said.

According to Hanzel, the Prendster community has had several eyeballs (EB) in the past months and they hope to have a grand EB to celebrate their first anniversary on December 22.

And what are their plans for 2005?

“We hope our active user base will grow. We’re also planning to bring back the free e-mail service for our members as well as the Web-based trivia game next year, because we really want to give our members the kind of enjoyment they deserve. As our saying goes, ‘Prendster cures boredom.’”